Cigar Review – Pinar Del Rio Habano Sun Grown Toro

Pinar Del Rio Habano Sun Grown Toro (6x50)

Pinar Del Rio cigars are handmade at one of the smaller factories in the D.R. under the supervision of Abraham Flores. Though the brand is relatively new to the cigar scene, it has been steadily gaining big industry buzz over the past few years. For today’s review I decided to light up the Habano Sun Grown, which is a blend of filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and D.R., a Criollo 98 binder, and a Dominican Habano Sun Grown wrapper, which sounded like a stout mix.

The cigar had a nice “upscale” presentation to it, with two regal-looking gold bands and a red ribbon at the foot. The wrapper was reddish-brown and just slightly veiny, and the stogie appeared to be well-constructed. Pre-light draws gave off a cedar note, with a hint of baking spice. It was time to get smokin’.

Right off the bat, this cigar had a lot of flavors popping. I immediately tasted strong notes of sweet cedar, butter, hay, and a really smooth baking spice. The stogie was quite a bit sweeter than I had expected, and the opening notes were bold, but not harsh. The more I smoked, the more the flavors smoothed out, and the cigar was burning mean and clean.

A bit further in, a nutty note surfaced, which balanced out the creamy cedar really well. The zesty spice flavor was still kicking, but was a little more subtle. During this portion of the cigar all the flavors began to work together perfectly, and with very tasty results. The burn-line started to go a bit crooked, but nothing too crazy. Right as I approached the stage of removing the band, a new buttery smoothness emerged, bringing this stick to a new level.

In the last third I got an unexpected note of light anise, and the baking spice disappeared, but the stogie still had a natural spicy tobacco flavor to it. I noticed the burn had straightened out, and the cigar was still smoking nice and cool. I was beginning to feel the full-bodiedness here quite a bit, and I decided it was time for me and this stick to part ways.

The flavor of the Habano Sun Grown was absolutely killer. Admittedly, this was the first cigar I’ve tried from Pinar Del Rio, and I was impressed. Despite very minor burn issues, this stick had all the makings of a top-notch stogie. It was tasty and complex, and only at the very end did the flavors start to wane a little. All in all, I have to say the Pinar Del Rio Habano Sun Grown is a solid choice, with interesting flavor and good performance, and I give this stick a strong B grade. This company has officially piqued my interest. Stay tuned, as I plan on reviewing the newest addition to the Pinar line, the 1878 Reserva Dominicana, soon.

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